As seen in the previous films of the franchise, the Rage virus has infected the mainland but a community has found a way to stay safe by inhabiting an island. Jamie (played by Aaron-Taylor Johnson) is taking his 12 year old son Spike (Alfie Williams, in his feature film debut) to the mainland for the first time on a scavenger exercise, much to the chagrin of his struggling wife Isla (Jodie Comer). Knowing his mom is dealing with a mysterious illness, Spike notices a plume of smoke on the horizon. He eventually learns that Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) used to live in that area and rumor has it that he stayed behind because he’s never been accounted for within the surviving community’s population. Desperate to help his mom, that rumor is good enough for Spike and he sets back out to the mainland — this time with Isla — to see if Dr. Kelson can help her. The two face inevitable attacks from the infected until they come across a Swedish soldier named Erik (Edvin Ryding) who saves their lives at an abandoned gas station. They all team up as they fight for their survival based on the mere hope that Dr. Kelson is still alive.
First and foremost, it should be noted that I’m not a fan of the horror movie genre. Therefore, this is not my kind of movie. But, then again, neither was THE SHINING, THE EXORCIST, A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE, PSYCHO and THE CELL but I absolutely loved those. The problem with 28 YEARS LATER is the problem I have with most horror movies: musical cues that telegraph what’s about to happen, fake-out jump scares, random smash cuts to “the scary thing” and characters that put themselves in illogically stupid situations. I expect better from writer Alex Garland and director Danny Boyle, both of which who have produced quality work elsewhere.
As far as the performances go, Comer is great, Taylor-Johnson is solid, Fiennes brings the audience back to center and Ryding steals the show during his all-too-brief cup of coffee on screen.
But, as a noted “child actor hater,” it’s important that I give credit where it’s due. Williams is so good in this that I’ll be following his career over the next few years to see what he can develop into. Despite being filmed when he was just 12 and 13 years old, Williams displays an acting range that includes boyish charm, believable betrayal, controlled anger, desperate hopelessness and instinctual bravery. In short, he carries this movie and, without him, it wouldn’t work in the slightest.
A lot of elements actually balance each other out. For example, it earns points because the lack of score in the opening act actually makes it feel creepier but loses points once the father/son duo delve into the mainland because, unfortunately, that style is abandoned. It earns points for being a great example of how to use exposition at the beginning but then loses points because the prosthetics on the infected are obvious. It earns points because the performances are as good as they are but then loses points because the story prompts more questions than answers.
This is a vehicle for Alfie Williams’ career and nothing more. If you’re a fan of the franchise, I guess you’ll have a good time in the theater. If you’re not, go see this so you can say you were on the ground floor of the next great child actor’s meteoric rise.
If you want to know why some people discount the horror movie genre, 28 YEARS LATER is exhibit A.
JKG SCORE: 5.5
Untitled Film Project 